The flag and the coat of arms of Pahang are

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

symbols of

Pahang Pahang (; Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a sultanate and ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. While adopting simpler design on its flag and arms, the state symbols remain representative towards its administration, monarchy, and economy. In addition, its arms includes elements related to local superstitions.

Flag

Design

The current flag of Pahang was adopted in 1903. It consists of a simple horizontal bicolour flag with equally proportionate bands of white on the upper half and black on the lower half. The black represents the official colour of the ''

bendahara Bendahara ( Jawi: بنداهارا) is an administrative position within classical Malay kingdoms comparable to a vizier before the intervention of European powers during the 19th century. A bendahara was appointed by a sultan and was a heredi ...

'', which was once the administrator of the state, while the white represents the Sultan of Pahang; the white over the black symbolises Pahang as a sovereign state with a royal monarch, as well as its presence of special privileges, laws, customs and codes of conduct, and specific rights of the Sultan.

Historical variants

As a formerly independent state under the Federated Malay States, Pahang adopted a

naval jack A jack is a flag flown from a short jackstaff at the bow (front) of a vessel, while the ensign is flown on the stern (rear). Jacks on bowsprits or foremasts appeared in the 17th century. A country may have different jacks for different p ...

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

for use on government ships, consisting of a quartered

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French ''sautoir'', Medieval Latin ''saltatori ...

that bore the colours of the state flag: Black on the leftmost and rightmost quarters, and white on the upper and lower quarters. The merger of the state into the Federation of Malaya in 1948 and the adoption of a unified maritime flag rendered the Pahang jack obsolete. As a member of the Federated Malay States, Pahang was also assigned a

British Resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indi ...

, and with it, a flag for the Resident that was essentially the state flag forked at the fly. The flag is similarly obsolete after the abolishment of British Residents in the state in 1942 following the Japanese occupation. File:Flag of Pahang (1853 - 1887).svg, Flag of Pahang (1853—87) File:Flag of Pahang (1887 - 1903).svg, Flag of Pahang (1887—1903) File:Orang Kaya Perba Jelai Standard.svg, Flag of Chief of Jelai File:British Resident's Flag of Pahang.svg, British Resident flag of Pahang (1853—1957) File:Jack of Pahang.svg, Jack of Pahang

Royal Standards

The royal family of Pahang flies a series of designated Royal Standards for its highest ranking members. File:Standard Sultan Pahang.svg, Standard of the Sultan File:TengkuAmpuanofPahang.svg, Standard of Tengku Ampuan (Queen Consort) File:Tengku Mahkota Pahang Standard.svg, Standard of Tengku Mahkota (Crown Prince) File:Tengku Puan Pahang Standard.svg, Standard of Tengku Puan (Crown Princess) File:Pemangku Raja Standard.svg, Standard of Pemangku Raja (Regent) File:Tengku Ampuan Besar Standard.svg, Standard of Tengku Ampuan Besar (Queen Dowager) File:Wakil Sultan Standard.svg, Standard of Wakil Sultan (Representative of the Sultan)

Seal

Personal Coat of Arms of Regent of Pahang

Pahang's coat of arms ( ms, Jata Pahang) consists of four elements: the spear head,

Jawi script Jawi (; ace, Jawoë; Kelantan-Pattani: ''Yawi''; ) is a writing system used for writing several languages of Southeast Asia, such as Acehnese, Banjarese, Kerinci, Maguindanaon, Malay, Minangkabau, Tausūg, and Ternate. Jawi is based ...

ures between the spear head, dual

tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine teeth, as with pigs and walruses, or, in the case of elephants, elongated incisors. Tusks share ...

s, and a

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

at the bottom. Another arms for the Sultan is entirely coloured in

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

. Details of the arms' elements are as follows: ; Spear head :The spear head is a central element of the arms, shaped similarly as a

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

leaf. Being golden, the dagger head is also intended to represent the weapon's hardiness in battle, as a white dagger was thought to be capable of piercing any armour. ; Jawi letters flanking the spear head :Six Jawi letters are written between the upper half of the spear head, divided into two short phrases: "'' Ya alif lam. Tho ya fa.''" (ﻱﺍﻝ ﻁﻱف). The letters combined make the phrase يا لطيف ''yā Laṭīf'' which in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

means "o gentle one", alluding to the belief of Pahangite rulers having a calm nature so inherent that they lack the need to resort to violence to instil peace in the state; the name is also known as one of Allah's many attributes appropriate for the Sultan being the upholder of Islam as the state's official religion. The phrase itself is also once believed to be a powerful spell against evil magic. ;

Tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine teeth, as with pigs and walruses, or, in the case of elephants, elongated incisors. Tusks share ...

s :A pair of white tusks criss-cross over and uplift the spear head, its shaper end pointing upwards. The tusks represent the abundance of

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

s (specifically,

Asian Elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus ''Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the no ...

s) in the state and its importance in Pahang's economy in the distance past through its trade of elephant tusks. The tusks, like the spear head, are coloured in white. ;

Motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

:The white motto is located at the bottom of the arms in the form of a banner that includes the phrase "''Negeri Pahang''" (Pahang State) written in both Latin and Jawi scripts.

References

{{Heraldry in Malaysia Pahang

1903 establishments in British Malaya